The paper straw is considered as a way of protecting the ‘color’ environment of brands such as The Coffee House, Starbucks Coffee, Highlands Coffee, Phuc Long, Gong Cha …
Starbucks switched to paper straws, but other tools still used plastic.
The trend of using paper straws
The campaign to stop using plastic straws has created a global craze over the past few years, with many reputable brands and a large number of consumers turning to paper straws.
In Vietnam, a number of major beverage brands have also responded to the messages of environmental protection, limiting the use of plastic waste, and encouraging the replacement of biodegradable and recyclable materials.
Pioneering brands can be mentioned as coffee shop chain The Coffee House, Trung Nguyen Legend Café, Starbucks Coffee … replacing plastic straws, plastic bags, disposable plastic spoons with bio straws, bags Bio, bio-spoon is completely biodegradable. Gong Cha and Phuc Long tea chains have replaced plastic straws with straws made from bagasse and paper.
But are paper straws really the same eco-friendly alternatives as the brands claim? Chung Shan-shan, scientific director of environmental management and public health at Hong Kong Baptist University, doesn’t think so.
According to SCMP, the main argument for using paper straws instead of plastic straws is that paper is biodegradable. That is, paper straws can decompose naturally and do not float in the ocean and then be swallowed by fish or turtles. However, environmental protection is not simply about swapping plastic for paper.
Although paper straws will decompose into smaller pieces, they are still capable of being swallowed by small animals. Furthermore, the term “biodegradation” can be misleading.
“The Hong Kong Environmental Protection Agency’s Biodegradability Test Standard considers the degree of degradation of different materials by keeping them at a constant temperature of 56 to 60 degrees Celsius for 180 days. . If the carbon content of that material is reduced by 60% then it can be considered biodegradable. So in fact, the so-called biodegradable materials can last longer than 180 days and even then, they do not disappear completely “, this expert emphasized.
“Although paper is biodegradable, it will not decompose even after a very long time if it contains too much pulp. You can find newspapers in landfills, where even after 10 or 20 years, the words on it can still be read.
Also, the garbage in the cities is ultimately in landfills, not in other spaces. The waste that decomposes in landfills still releases toxic methane gas into the atmosphere.
Paper straws spoil the taste of drinks
Paper straws easily spoil the taste of drinks.
Since China introduced restrictions on the use of plastic materials last year, non-biodegradable single-use plastic straws have begun to be phased out from the country’s food industry in late 2020. and the eco-friendly straws that are used nationwide.
Experts say, thanks to the trend of protecting the environment, paper straws and similar products are bringing huge revenue for manufacturing companies. According to a report by Huaan Securities Co Ltd, the size of the paper straw market in this country could reach 28 billion yuan (4.33 billion USD) by 2025.
But in addition to the controversy over the degradability, the paper straws have also complained about the quality, as well as affecting the taste of the drink. Most of the time, biological straws are worn out when left in water for a long time. They mix paper flavors into drinks, causing discomfort for diners.
Huang Xinyi, a 30-year-old worker in Beijing, told China.org: “Paper straws taste like paper or cardboard and cannot be soaked in drinks for long. That is why, I need to drink all the drinks right after I buy it.
No matter how environmentally friendly the paper straw is, it is having trouble being accepted by the consumer. “Paper straws also have an impact on the environment. On the one hand, they consume a large amount of wood resources, on the other hand, they also pollute the production process. More efforts are needed for research and further work.” developing other alternatives, “said expert Lin Boqiang from the Energy Policy Research Institute at Xiamen University, China.
When complaints related to paper straws became a popular topic, Chinese netizens made comments about alternative straws such as biodegradable plastic, metal straws …
Environmental protection half-hearted
Highland Coffee is the brand that propagates the most about environmental protection but still uses plastic cups and plastic straws.
While major beverage brands in Vietnam such as Gong Cha, Phuc Long, The Coffee House, Trung Nguyen Legend Café, Starbucks Coffee … are replacing straws, mugs, bags with environmentally friendly materials. Responding to customers’ requirements as well as environmental responsibility, there are still opinions that this is just a half-hearted change, stopping at the level of “cutting”, not giving up altogether.
Some companies only change straws, but still use plastic cups, others are the opposite. Or even the most controversial recently is Highlands Coffee, when shouting out loud environmental campaigns on media channels but doing it in a way unlike anyone else.
This chain of drinks uses the highly reputed beverage handle section: “Biodegradable, eco-friendly handle”. However, in addition to the handle, the other things are still plastic cups, plastic spoons, even using a plastic straw, not using a paper straw.
The online community said that the changes and calls of the above brands are still only polished and “colored”, instead of serious implementation for the environment, as required by consumers.
It is said that firms can not completely replace plastic utensils for the purpose of maximizing profits. To replace the whole process and equipment, it will take a lot of time and cost.
Regarding the trend of moving from plastic to paper straws, Chung assessed that people want to reduce the use of plastic products but do not want to sacrifice convenience. Even though they are paper straws, they are still disposable waste.
“Unless you get rid of disposable items in natural places with a lot of wildlife, swapping plastic straws for paper straws won’t make any difference in the city,” Chung added.
The only guaranteed way to make a difference to the environment, says the expert, is that people stop using disposable straws.
“Even if we create products using the most eco-friendly materials, if they are still single-use products, the Earth’s environment will still be affected.” said.
This expert suggests that users can drink it directly or use a chopstick or spoon to eat topping in a cup.
In conclusion, it doesn’t make much sense to switch to environmental materials unless we use reusable items.
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